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Laurel Accent and Décor with Round Rugs A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to visit a newly home built in the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Costa Rica. I marveled as my client drove her four-wheel drive vehicle through the jungle; upon reaching her home the 180˚ view of the ocean was … Read more
Kiva Loans Helping Others in Business Laurel is committed to donating 5% from the sale of all of her Laurel’s Originals products – canvas rugs, interior decor items and canvas totes and bags, to helping women (and men) in Costa Rica get the assistance they need to start, grow and/or maintain their business with small … Read more
Creative Interior Decorator’s Design When an interior decorator comes up with a design idea there are many aspects to be considered. A wonderful creative collusion came about recently when I was in Jaco visiting with an interior decorator, Stephen, introducing him to my hand painted custom canvas area rugs. “I have a client for you…right … Read more
A Custom Floor Cloth for an Artist’s Interior Home Design Project One of my favorite aspects working in interior home design is creating the perfect floor cloth for artistic clients who have a clear vision. Case in point: Frances, a renowned ceramic artist who has traveled the world, desired a hand painted canvas rug for … Read more
Dog Urine, Muddy Tracks, Dog Hair + Dander: Canvas Rugs to the Rescue! Dog urine in rugs is one of those smells that can be impossible to remove; Many of my clients purchase canvas rugs because they have dogs. Their issues cover a host of mishaps: Untrained or not house broken (dog urine!) Long nails … Read more
A Lifetime of Textiles and Painting While writing a To Do list I had scribbled a note: “Put yourself on the map.” This last week was spent taking steps to do just that with my original, hand painted textiles. The Contemporary Art and Design Museum in San Jose, Costa Rica, offers an open forum for … Read more
Working with Gray for a Living Room Rug With every canvas area rug, each new design and color scheme is a challenge and an adventure. After the initial client discussions on the details, I cannot wait to get started with the design layout and painting to seeing how the rug will develop. Per my newest … Read more
Kitchen Rug: Functionality & Design Many of us certainly spend a lot of time in the kitchen, especially in front of the sink. The place to wash fruits and vegetables and my not so favorite thing: cleaning up. A kitchen rug is often placed in front of the sink, to make more comfortable the place … Read more
Designing Large 8 x 10 Area Rugs In preparation of making and painting 8×10 area rugs for a client’s beach home I was asked if it was possible to replicate a pattern given in a photograph. It was a simple damask pattern and using an enlarged photo I could make a stencil but my … Read more
Canvas & Design: Modern Art Wall Tapestries Having just completed a large wall hanging for a client I recall that canvas floor cloths originated in France in the 1400’s as spin-offs from wall tapestries. It wasn’t until the 1800’s that the British took this art form and put them on the floor. From there the … Read more